Competition
by Simahoyo
Summary: Which one did the dumbest thing when a teenager, Jane, Maura or Angela. Starts fun, gets very serious.


Competition

By Simahoyo

(Who did the dumbest thing as a teenager, Jane Maura or Angela? Starts fun, gets serious in a hurry. Do NOT try any of the stunts described herein.)

Angela, Jane and Maura were gathered around Maura's kitchen island, sitting on bar stools, snacking on antipasti. The plates were piled high with prosciutto, mortadella, pepperoncini, asiago, and some healthy green junk Maura had smuggled onto the plate. Jane knew how to avoid that stuff. Besides, she figured Maura would eat it, whatever it was. Maybe it was for Bass.

The beer was good, Maura seemed happy with wine, and Angela was drinking lemoncello.

As the food and drinks disappeared, Jane thought about something she wanted to know about Maura, and needed a sneaky way to get the info. If Ma didn't catch on, it would be perfect. She laughed to herself when she thought of how cleverly she was going to accomplish this one.

"Hey Maur', did you ever do anything really dumb when you were like in high school or college? There's something about that age, Know what I mean?"

Maura gave Jane a suspicious look. "I have an idea. So, are you planning some sort of confession.?"

"Why don't we all go. I'll go first, then you, then Ma. How's that?".

"Maybe.", said Maura. She crossed her arms, and looked at Jane, waiting.

"Okay. We bet ten bucks each."

"I'd like to hear what you have to say, Janie.", but Angela's voice held just a hint of a threat.

Jane's curiosity overcame her common sense. She stretched her legs out in front of her. "Ok. When I was 16, Bob Kelly and Jim Pallito and I wanted to see how much ice was on the Charles River that winter, so we chipped in and got a rusty old hunk of junk car, and I drove it onto the ice until it started to crack, and we got out and ran like hell, then stood there and watched until it sank."

Anglea did not hesitate, she reached out and slapped Jane on the back of her head.

"You could have been killed.!"

"Ow. I know. I'm sorry. Shhesh, I was 16." Jane rubbed her head.

Maura was nervous, fidgeting, looking at her shoes.

"I don't want to. I was an exceptionally dumb teen."

"Ma can go."

"Oh no, I can outdo both of you. I'm saving mine for last. Besides, I'm not allowed to hit Maura."

"So, Maura, you can tell us. We won't blab. You know I'm a vault. And Ma won't dare if her's is worse that yours. Come on. P l e a s e." Jane deliberately drew out the word.

"Did you know I went to Brown University?" Maura's voice held a trace of trepidation.

"What? No. When?"

"My first two years. They put me in a co-ed dorm. Can you imagine that?" Maura wouldn't look at either woman.

"Oh my god, that's like an alcoholic in a ..."

"Distillery. I know. That particular time, I was with a football player when his roommate came home early."

"That must have been embarrassing.", said Angela.

"It wasn't the first time. I didn't really care. I got dressed and went out into the hall. The roommate followed me into the common room, calling me horrible names, which drew a crowd. I need to explain that I was not really in control of my temper then."

"Really?", said Jane as sarcastically as she could manage.

"Okay, I _will_ tell what happened." Maura got a glint in her eye. She was being competitive, which was what Jane had counted on.

"So, Maura, what did happen?", asked Angela kindly.

"I blew up. I called him every nasty word I knew, and put my fist through the wall. I didn't want to hurt him, but he kept it up, so I broke a chair. Then I put my hand through a window. He still wouldn't stop, so I jumped on his back and kept pounding him. And I, um, broke his nose." Maura's voice rose to a squeak.

"Wow. Remind me never to make you mad."

"Shush Janie. What happened next, Maura?"

"The campus police came. I was arrested. Luckily I was only seventeen. So, there was no record to ruin my life. Mother had to come and get me. She was absolutely furious. We never quite got over it until , well, recently. The damages were over $2,000. You know, I still have the scars from that." Maura showed Jane her right hand, pointing to the faint scars.

"God, Maur' you could have damaged your hand so you couldn't do surgery.

"I know. It's funny now, I guess., Dad was pretty great about it. He sent me to anger management classes. And I finished school by testing out. So, now you know. I was a really dumb teenager." Maura turned to Angela and smiled. "Beat that."

"I hitch hiked to California one summer, alone."

"God, Ma. You could have been killed."

"There's a lot more. I met a girl named Lynette. She took me to her commune, on a ranch in California. They were all smoking dope, but I never went for that stuff, so I begged off. I met their leader A scruffy, bearded guy. He wrote music. He wasn't very good at it. And he talked about some really weird things. So, the next day, I took off for home."

Jane knew where her mother was going, but was gobsmacked into silence.

"I don't know, Angela, but I believe I have you beat."

"I found their pictures in the newspaper later that year. I read that Lynette was called Squeeky. And their leader was Charles Manson."

Jane's mouth fell open. She simply stared at her mother. She had really gone there.

"Ma, you could have been part of the Manson Family?"

A look of triumph crossed Angela's face. "I win, girls, pay up."

After their meal, Jane waited. Maura was very quiet. The quiet was hanging in the air between them.

Jane gave Maura a questioning look.

"What?"

"That wasn't your dumbest move, was it?"

"I believe the parameters were high school or college."

"Uh huh. Fess up."

"No."

"No?"

Maura carefully enunciated. "No."

"Come on Maur' You've seen most of my dumb moves. Ma can't hear you."

Maura looked around the room, seeing if the coast was clear? "No."

"Something with a man?"

"NO! Stop it."

"Oh, wait, Something with Doctors without Borders."

"Back off, Jane."

"Was it dumber than when I shot myself?"

Maura gave Jane a look that shut her up. Jane sat down, saying nothing.

"This goes no further. I mean it. I will never speak to you again it you tell anyone."

"That serious?"

"Yes. Maura was tapping her foot, waiting. "You didn't promise anything."

"Okay, cross my heart. I will not tell anyone."

Maura sat down, looked at Jane, then got up and walked a bit. "I went to the Congo."

"Are you crazy? That country has more travel warnings than any other in the world."

"They needed me. I sneaked across the border to do surgeries for the women who had been gang raped. I did that for two weeks, then I was captured."

"Oh my God! How did you survive?" Jane couldn't stop herself from wrapping both arms around Maura."

"I bribed them. I got three doctors and four other medical personnel out."

Maura removed herself from Jane's clutches. She looked resolute, but a bit shell-shocked.

Jane's eyes searched Maura's face. "Did they hurt you?"

"Yes. That's all you get to know. Got it?"

Jane had never seen the doctor like that. She was totally closed down.

"I've got it. I'm sorry that they hurt you. And I think you are the bravest person I have ever met."

"No, I'm not. It's the women who live there every day. I saw what was done to them. Part of me wants to go back and do it again, but I can't. I can't survive it. I'm not brave at all."

"Maura Isles, you amaze me. I should have known you would do something like that. I, well, I don't know what to say. I'm honored to be your friend."

"And if I wake up some night screaming? Wait a minute, Jane Rizzoli. I know what brought this on. My God, you were here last night." Maura turned her back on Jane. "I know I didn't wake up. What did I do?"

" You were screaming. I ran in to see if you were alright, and since you were still asleep, I figured it was a nightmare. The way you were thrashing around, I was afraid to touch you so, I just talked to you, very quietly. And you went back to sleep."

"That's really embarrassing. So, you took it on yourself to play gumshoe and dig it out of me, huh?"

"Yeah, and next time you have a nightmare, I'll know why. And I'll honor what you did. Hell, I've done that screaming stuff to you before, and you were perfectly nice about it. I can trade places." Jane opened her arms, and Maura snuggled inside them.

"Thanks, Jane. You are the best friend I've ever had."

"Right back atcha."*

*Thanks ROC, for restoring that particular expression to the American vocabulary.


End file.
